Report finds single women enthusiastic about technology, single men enthusiastic about single women
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Apr 16th 2009 7:14PM
posted Apr 16th 2009 7:14PM
A new report, entitled "The Single Female Tech Buyer: Cast Aside Myths And Embrace This Target Segment" may read like the latest Tom Clancy techno-thriller (okay, not really) but its message is crystal clear: "cast aside myths," it says, "and embrace this target segment." In its study of one thousand single men and one thousand single women residing in the United States and Canada, Forrester Research uncovered a slew of facts you can use to sell single women stuff that they probably don't need. Behold: When asked about their next computer, the vast majority of women (forty-seven percent) said they were planning on buying a laptop, while most of the men (again, forty-seven percent) said they'd be buying a desktop. Clearly, laptop makers should be concentrating hot-to-trot models like the Vaio P (or, for the budget conscious, the Vaino), while desktop manufacturers should concentrate on superhero or vicious animal-themed desktop rigs. But that ain't all! Ownership amongst bachelors and bachelorettes were darn near equal for things like gaming consoles, handheld games, and digital cameras. If you can't wait to dip into what is sure to be a real page turner, make sure you hit the read link -- the report can be yours for a mere $749.
[Via CNET]
[Via CNET]
Title win
I couldn't agree more! It's nice to actually use the term lol and actually mean it.
It was an online survey, naturally you have to assume that 85% of those 1000 women were really men.
Technology interested in single men. It's a love triangle where nobody wins...
I don't post for much, but it's worth it to credit that excellent title.
That is an excellent title. :)
yes! the best i've seen on engadget this year!
Agreed!
"All the single ladies...all the single ladies...put yo hands up!"
Call me crazy... this just seems to be stating the obvious... single income + no family expenses = extra money to spend on stuff (and free time to play video games).
But traditionally women are expected to be spending their money on non-tech stuff, clothes, handbags, makeup, general shopping.
Not on computers and electronic games.
Mind you obviously if you do an internet survey you might be surprised to find everybody has a computer.. and internet... even in an internet survey in 3rd world and african countries it was shown everybody has a computer and internet, who knew eh...
I'm confused, you said that 47% of women want a laptop, so doesn't that leave 53% to want desktops for women, and vice versa for men? To me the stats are a little backwards.
Or are netbooks and nettops included as well?
I suppose they could want *gasp* nothing. Or, like you said, netbooks. I don't even know why nettops exist if they have any kind of tower, as paying the same amount for a desktop will net you a far more powerful computer.
it means 47% want laptops, thus 53% do not want laptops. not wanting laptops does not equal wanting a desktop. 59% could want a desktop, meaning 41% do not want a desktop... and furthermore, this means some could want both a laptop and desktop. there is some accounting for overlap.
sheesh, it takes a girl to set the math straight around here!
@fireworks
You make a valid point. Didn't take into account the fact that it could have been a "check all that you want" type poll.
I was thinking laptop/desktop/iPhone/Wii/TV set-top box with web browser/nothing myself. Lots of options nowadays.
If you go out of your way to follow the cnet link, it actually says "47 percent of women said their next computer would be a laptop, and 29 percent said it would be a desktop". That doesn't seem to leave much room for people saying their next computer would be anything else, so I'm a little puzzled too as to what happened to the other 24%.
Apparantly, single women are so unenthusiastic about technology that 24% thought there was a third type of computer out there.
Perhaps the 24% said netbook but the lawyers say you can't say netbook any more.
Or more likely 24% said "Idunno" or even "I don't want no stinking computer pls"
You're not gonna have much luck at Engadget, mate.
Also, note to Engadget: 47% is not a majority, or the "most". It's a plurality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality_(voting)
I am a techie girl, forget shoes and clothes just give me toys!
Wow you set yourself up for those, sorry
You really gotta love the internet.
DO NOT TAUNT HAPPY FUN BALL.
gee guys, you're doing a great job of getting more girls to post on engadget. objectification is clearly what she was looking for with this post.
Who is from canada and has a kid? Not me!
This may be true for the single ladies, but my girlfriend cries every time I buy a new gadget. Likely because I'll spend the next few weeks staring/playing/poking it instead of her.
that's hot.
Tip: Even if your wife / girlfriend WANTS a gadget, find another reason to buy it for them instead of a big three present. Big three being Birthday, Anniversary or Christmas.
I don't know about that...
I got my wife matching gadgets for Christmas - red iPod Nano, red Dell laptop and matching red mouse and ear buds, to go with her red phone and BT headset I got her for her birthday.
That worked out pretty well, actually.
According to this study, he actually might.
hmm.. sexy.
hmm...
I have a better opportunity.
Let's see how fast all the Engadget readers can pile on to get your comment removed.
sweet victory
Are we really surprised about the results? Of course more and more of either gender are going to have more and more of each technology. Twitter, facebook, MySpace E-mail, texting, cell phones, PDA’s, Cameras capable of holding hundreds of pictures with great clarity and are easily editable, all these things are or require technology to use, are we really supposed to be surprised that women want to use these powerful tools/gadgets too? The entire world is becoming more and more reliant on technology, period.
Engadget Dating.
Its been posted, but if 47% of men want desktops and 53% of women want desktops (assuming they want a computer of some type) then men actually like laptops more.
yeah, but if laptops are being marketed primarily at men then the almost half of women who want them are being neglected.
Remove it, we cannot allow Engadget comments to degenerate to the same quality as YouTube ones. That would make me very very sad.
The fact that he posted his email looking for women on Engadget says something about him
This almost makes me feel normal.
Seems kind of obvious to me.
does this mean people are going to stop being impressed when i tell them i build computers for fun? i prefer desktops, but laptops are good for staying in bed on sick days.
What monitor is that?
Hmmm... I'd go for a laptop.
I think we need title awards. This one is instant classic. Humour and Gadets go hand in hand. o_O
me and spelling do not =-(
Since when is 47% a "vast majority"?!
Since the first bush election?